Occupant protection apparatus

ABSTRACT

An occupant protection apparatus protects an occupant sitting on a seat adjacent to a side door of a vehicle when a side collision or a rollover occurs. The occupant protection apparatus includes a push-up device for pushing up a part of a hip portion of the occupant adjacent to the side door when the side collision or the rollover occurs. In the occupant protection apparatus, when the side collision of the vehicle occurs, the push-up device pushes up the part of the occupant&#39;s hip to tilt an upper body of the occupant away from the side door. It is preferable that the push-up device includes an inflatable bag and a gas generator for inflating the bag.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AND RELATED ART STATEMENT

The present invention relates to an occupant protection apparatus forprotecting an occupant in a vehicle when a side collision or a rolloverof the vehicle occurs.

An occupant protection apparatus is provided for preventing an occupantfrom colliding with a side door and thereby protecting the occupant whena side collision (collision from a side of a vehicle) or a rollover of avehicle occurs. The occupant protecting apparatus includes a side bag(side airbag) device, a curtain bag (curtain airbag) device, and thelike. In the specification, the term “rollover” includes a spinning ofthe vehicle, and “side collision or rollover” is sometimes describedsimply as “side collision”

An object of the present invention is to provide an occupant protectionapparatus for moving an upper body of the occupant away from a door whenthe side collision occurs.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent fromthe following description of the invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention, an occupant protection apparatusprotects an occupant sitting on a seat adjacent to a side door of avehicle when a side collision or a rollover occurs. The occupantprotection apparatus includes push-up means for pushing up a hip portionof the occupant adjacent to the side door when the side collision or therollover occurs.

In the occupant protection apparatus, when the side collision of thevehicle occurs, the push-up means pushes up the occupant's hip adjacentto a side bag so as to tilt an upper body of the occupant away from theside bag. Accordingly, a space between the door and the upper body ofthe occupant increases, so that the upper body of the occupant does noteasily collide with the side door, and receives only a small impact evenif the occupant collides with the side door.

It is preferable that the push-up means for pushing up the hip comprisesan inflatable bag and a gas generator for inflating the bag. When theside collision is detected or predicted, the gas generator is activatedso as to inflate the bag. More specifically, the gas generatorinstantaneously generates a large amount of gas, so that when the sidecollision occurs, the occupant's hip adjacent to the door issufficiently pushed up and a large space is provided between the upperbody of the occupant and the door.

An airbag may be provided to expand in the large space between the sidedoor and the upper body of the occupant for receiving and protecting theoccupant. Due to the large space, it is possible to increase a thicknessof the airbag in an inflated state, so that the airbag can moreeffectively absorb an impact. Further, it is possible to inflate theairbag quickly even when an inflator having a low output is used.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a front seat of an automobileincluding an occupant protection apparatus according to an embodiment;and

FIGS. 2(a) and 2(b) are sectional views taken along line 2—2 in FIG. 1,wherein FIG. 2(a) is a view showing a state before a bottom bag isinflated, and FIG. 2(b) is a view showing a state after the bottom bagis inflated.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Hereunder, embodiments of the present invention will be described withreference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective viewshowing a front seat of an automobile including an occupant protectionapparatus according to an embodiment. FIGS. 2(a) and 2(b) are sectionalviews taken along line 2—2 in FIG. 1, wherein FIG. 2(a) is a viewshowing a state before a bottom bag is inflated, and FIG. 2(b) is a viewshowing a state after the bottom bag is inflated.

As shown in FIG. 1, a seat 10 of an automobile includes a seat cushion11, a seat back 12, and a headrest 13. A shoulder anchor 15 is providedon a B-pillar 14, and a shoulder belt 16 extends from the shoulderanchor 15. The shoulder belt 16 is inserted though a tongue 17, andaccordingly serves as a lap belt 18. The tongue 17 is locked to a buckle19.

A door 24 or the seat 10 is provided with a side bag device including aside bag 21 for inflating along a bottom portion of the door 24. Inaddition, a curtain bag device extending from an A-pillar along a roofside of the automobile is provided. When a side collision or a rolloveroccurs, a curtain bag 23 inflates along an upper portion of the door 24.Although only a front portion of the curtain bag 23 is shown in FIG. 1in order to make the figure clear, the curtain bag 23 actually extendsso as to cover the B-pillar 14 in an inflated state. The curtain bag 23may be large enough to cover the door of the back seat.

As shown in FIGS. 2(a) and 2(b), the seat cushion 11 includes a maincushion body 11 a composed of a foam material and a cover 11 b forcovering top and side surfaces of the main cushion body 11 a. Aninflatable bottom bag 30 is disposed between the main cushion body 11 aand the cover 11 b of the seat cushion 11 at an upper portion along aside close to the door 24. In addition, an inflator 31 for inflating thebottom bag 30 is disposed in the seat cushion 11.

When the right side of the automobile collides with an object or whenthe automobile rolls over to the right, the side bag 21 and the curtainbag 23 inflate along the door 24. In addition, as shown in FIG. 2(b),the inflator 31 inflates the bottom bag 30. When the bottom bag 30 isinflated, the right hip of the occupant sitting on the seat 10 is pushedup, so that the upper body of the occupant tilts away from the door 24in the arrow direction A, and a space between the upper body of theoccupant and the door 24 increases. Accordingly, the side bag 21 and thecurtain bag 23 inflate so as to expand into the space. The side bag 21receives and protects the shoulder and the hip of the occupant from theright, and the curtain bag 23 receives and protects the head and theneck of the occupant.

According to the above-described embodiment, the upper body of theoccupant is tilted toward the left by the bottom bag 30, and the largespace is provided between the upper body of the occupant and the door24. Accordingly, it is possible to increase thicknesses of the side bag21 and the curtain bag 23 (sizes thereof in a direction perpendicular tothe door in the inflated state), so that the impact on the occupant canbe more effectively absorbed. In addition, even when the inflators forinflating the side bag 21 and the curtain bag 23 have low outputs, theside bag 21 and the curtain bag 23 can be inflated smoothly and quickly.

In the above-described embodiment, the bottom bag 30 for tilting theupper body of the occupant away from the door 24 is disposed in the seatcushion 11. Another bag may be disposed in the seat back 12 at the sideclose to the door 24 for a similar purpose.

In the embodiment, the side bag 21 and the curtain bag 23 are provided.However, it is possible to omit one of the side bag 21 and the curtainbag 23. When only the side bag is provided, the side bag may also beconstructed to expand further upward as compared to that shown in thefigure. When only the curtain bag is provided, the curtain bag may beconstructed to expand downward further then that shown in the drawing.

In the embodiment, the bottom bag 30 is constructed to push up the cover11 b in an inflated state. However, the bottom bag 30 may also beconstructed to break the cover 11 b and directly push up the occupant'ship in an inflated state.

Although not shown in the figure, the seat itself may be tilted to tiltthe upper body of the occupant away from the door when the sidecollision occurs.

Although a right seat is shown in the above-described embodiment, thepresent invention may also be applied to a left seat. In addition,although the present invention is applied to a front seat in theembodiment, the present invention may also be applied to a back seat.

As described above, according to the present invention, the upper bodyof the occupant is tilted away from the door to protect the occupantwhen the side collision occurs. In case that the space between theoccupant and the door is increased and the airbag is inflated in thespace to protect the occupant, the airbag can inflate sufficientlyquickly even when the gas generator for inflating the airbag has lowoutput. In addition, the thickness of the airbag in the inflated statecan be increased.

While the invention has been explained with the specific embodiments ofthe invention, the explanation is illustrative and the invention islimited only by the appended claims.

1. An occupant protection apparatus for protecting an occupant,comprising: a seat situated adjacent to a side door of a vehicle,push-up means disposed inside the seat and including an inflatable bagsituated at a door side of the seat and a gas generator attached to theinflatable bag for inflating the same, said inflatable bag beingprovided less than a half of the seat in a width direction of the seatto be inflated by the gas generator for pushing up a part of a hipportion of the occupant adjacent to the side door, said seat beinginclined upon inflation of the inflatable bag such that the door side islocated higher than an opposite side thereof in the width direction toform a greater space between the side door and the occupant when a sidecollision or a rollover occurs, and an airbag disposed inside thevehicle for expanding in the greater space between the side door and theoccupant created by the push-up means when the side collision or therollover occurs.
 2. An occupant protection apparatus for protecting anoccupant, comprising: a seat situated adjacent to a side door of avehicle, push-up means disposed inside the seat, and including aninflatable bag situated at a door side of the seat and a gas generatorattached to the inflatable bag for inflating the inflatable bag andactivated only when a side collision or rollover is detected orpredicted, said inflatable bag being situated only at the door side ofthe seat and inflated by the gas generator for pushing up a part of ahip portion of the occupant adjacent to the side door to form a greaterspace between the side door and the occupant when a side collision or arollover occurs, and an airbag disposed inside the vehicle for expandingin the greater space between the side door and the occupant created bythe push-up means when the side collision or the rollover occurs.
 3. Anoccupant protection apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said airbagis at least a side bag or a curtain bag.